Tom Brady is mulling retirement after leading the NFL in passing yards with 5,316 this season.
He is so good that he has to decide whether or not to walk away while still at the peak of his abilities.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans may still be in a state of shock after Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Brady is usually a lock to at least reach the Championship Game and it looked like he was even better in 2021 than he was in 2020.
But his offense fell behind early and a late comeback was still not enough.
Those who pay close attention to NFL history know Brady may have been cursed from the start of the postseason.
That is because of the fact he led the NFL in passing yards this year.
With Brady out of the playoffs, this streak continues.
Even more wild: Tom Brady has been a regular season passing leader 4 times and won 7 Super Bowls, but he's never accomplished both feats in the same season. pic.twitter.com/7sWq6VEJvZ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 25, 2022
In the entire history of the Super Bowl, no quarterback who has led the NFL in passing has ever went home with a ring that same season.
This now makes Brady 0-4 in title pursuits when he is the league’s passing yards leader.
A Shocking NFL Trend
The legendary quarterback also led the NFL in passing yards in 2005, 2007, and 2017.
2005 saw him and the New England Patriots exit in the Divisional Round.
He got closer to glory in 2007 and 2017 as he made the Super Bowl both times only to lose in NFL classics, first to the New York Giants and then to the Philadelphia Eagles a decade later.
This trend coming to light is one that may spook NFL fans in the future.
Is it better for a quarterback to not lead the league in passing yards?
Tom Brady referenced Kobe when thinking about his future and life after football 🙏
(via @SiriusXMNFL) pic.twitter.com/rOj8j4ZPqH
— ESPN (@espn) January 25, 2022
This trend may actually speak more toward teams with more balanced offenses having better success.
Or it can be totally random and coincidental since the sample size is 56 years.
Yet even a quarterback with seven rings has not been able to overcome this obstacle.
That is something that may have NFL coaches focusing on balance in 2022 and beyond.
NEXT: Tom Brady Cannot Retire This Way